The European relationship with food and drink is a notoriously passionate and dedicated one. Meals, large and small, are meant to be savored and shared. As American cities become more dense and the pace, more frenetic people are seeking out places that are designed for gathering and lingering with friends. Now, in a popular Atlanta neighborhood, friends and neighbors are finding a space that has risen to the challenge with comfort and style.

The owners of SIP felt a similar affinity for the European experience and set out to create a destination that was equal parts social hub and lounge, providing coffee, wine, beer and tea to their guests. They turned to ai3 to oversee the design, passing along a collection of imagery amassed over many years of travel and a directive to create a unique setting that was socially inspired and reflected a modern sensibility.

Using the client’s own imagery to develop their design, ai3 created a space that is an artful balance of the familiar and the surprising. This coffee and wine bar is a refreshing departure from typical designs. Classic mid-century furniture creates a comfortable vernacular from which unexpected elements diverge. Wood paneling mingles cleverly with random stone tiles. Concrete floors mix with white accents and a farmhouse-inspired communal table. Clusters of seating and plush area rugs play off of variations in the ceiling height to create individual spaces that range from intimate to familial.

The residential aesthetic extends to the patio where large benches and bright cushions complement cozy tables. The service area conjures a market feeling with its white-painted open shelving and stainless steel counter tops. It is clean, friendly and approachable. Mindful of maintaining connectivity with SIP’s brand, ai3 utilized a color palette that references the espresso brown and green found in the SIP logo, adding touches of charcoal and white for texture and contrast.
www.siptheexperience.com